Santa Fe Guiding Company Tight Lines & In-Sights

With Thanksgiving past us and the holiday season in full swing, the ProGuides of the Santa Fe Guiding Company want to wish you the merriest of Christmas and the most awesome New Year in 2018.

The SFGC ProGuides have a lot to be thankful for. Fantastic client hunters and anglers that are the most enjoyable to share our time afield with making stories and memories to last a life time.

And Mother Nature's generosity making our fin, fury and feathered quarry so much fun and challenging to pursue during our recreational adventures afield on New Mexico's wild lands and waters.

Santa Paws and the raindeer dogs hope your tree is trimmed and covered with great gifts ...... ......Like SFGC Gift Certificates for the best times afield with loved ones! and woof " it's time to march the fields of weeds and chase the QUAIL that flee!" Bob white and scaled birds in eastern New Mexico are the best in years!

Happy says "there are more QUAIL out here than you can shake a deer leg at!"

Booking now for December - February 15th season with openings on the schedule for you to hunt with the SFGC rain deer doggies and your dogs too.

Free Mobile App

The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish announces the release of our new mobile app. The free Official New Mexico Outdoor Pocket Ranger® Guide for

Fishing, Hunting & Wildlife is available for OS and Android devices.

Offering advanced GPS technology, allowing you to record trails, use waypoints and photo waypoints, the app is packed full of information and features:

Special hunter education camp offered

at Gorham Scout Ranch near Chimayo

CHIMAYO – The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish is offering a special hunter education camp where youths can receive hands-on training and earn their hunter education certification free of charge.

The camp is open to youths ages 11 to 17 who are accompanied by a responsible adult. It will be conducted the weekend of Sept. 29 – Oct. 1 at the Gorham Scout Ranch near Chimayo. Lodging and meals are free and all equipment is provided. Those interested in attending must complete and return the registration form available at www.wildlife.state.nm.us/education/hunter-education/ by noonSept. 14 to be eligible. Slots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

The department is hosting the camp in partnership with the Gorham Scout Ranch and the Safari Club International Foundation.

Participants will learn safe and responsible firearms handling, ethical hunting behaviors, conservation, wildlife identification and basic survival skills. Participants will test their marksmanship skills with .22 rifles and archery on a range under the supervision of certified hunter education instructors and department staff.

To qualify for the camp, participants must have a Customer Identification Number account with the department and complete the required homework before attending. To hunt legally in New Mexico, youths ages 17 and younger must first successfully complete a hunter education course or be registered in the department’s Mentored-Youth Hunting Program.

This fishing report, provided by Bill Dunn and the Department of Game and Fish, has been generated from the best information available from area officers and anglers. Conditions encountered after the report is compiled may differ, as stream, lake and weather conditions alter fish and angler activities.

Ute Lake: Reilly Stanridge, 5, of Guymon, Okla., caught a 19-inch walleye Aug. 19. It was her first walleye and she was using a worm.

If you have a catch of the week story or just want to tell us about your latest New Mexico fishing experience, send it to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We may include your story in our next report.

For catches of the week, include name, age, hometown, date, and location, type of fish, length and weight if possible and bait, lure or fly used.

Aug. 29

Northeast

Charette Lakes: Fishing was slow.

Clayton Lake: Fishing was slow and fishing pressure was very light. The boat ramp is now open.

Cimarron River: Stream flow near Cimarron on Monday was 10.1 cfs. Fishing was fair using parachute Adams, tricos, caddis, worms and salmon eggs. Fishing at the Gravel Pit Lakes was very good using salmon eggs, PowerBait and Pistol Petes.

Conchas Lake: The lake came up about eight feet this past week and fishing slowed considerably. A few largemouth bass and smallmouth bass were caught

by anglers using jigs, tubes, creature baits, senkos, crank baits and top water lures. Fishing was fair using shrimp, cut bait and liver for catfish. We had no other reports.

Costilla Creek: Stream flow on Monday below Costilla Dam was 65.7 cfs.Fishing was very good using elk hair caddis and parachute Adams for trout.

Cowles Ponds: Fishing was good using Pistol Petes, PowerBait, worms and salmon eggs for trout.

Coyote Creek: Trout fishing was slow.

Eagle Rock Lake: Fishing was very good using PowerBait, Fire Bait, worms, Pistol Petes, silver spinners, small streamers, copper John Barrs and wooly buggers for trout.

Eagle Nest Lake: Trout fishing was fair trolling Platte River specials and spinners tipped with corn or PowerBait. Fishing was fair trolling spinners and casting big streamers for northern pike. Fishing from the bank was fair using PowerBait for trout and very good using worms for perch. We had no other reports. The 25th Annual Fish Fest will be Sept. 2-10. For more information, call (575) 377-6941.

Gallinas River: Fishing was fair to good using worms and Fire Balls for trout.

Hopewell Lake: Fishing for trout was slow to fair using worms and PowerBait under a bobber.

Lake Alice: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Lake Maloya: Fishing was fair to good using elk hair caddis, wooly buggers, ants, hoppers and PowerBait for trout. Fishing was good using worms for perch. The best reports are still coming from anglers fishing the evening hours.

Los Pinos River: Fishing was good using bead-head prince nymphs, copper John Barrs, night crawlers and salmon eggs for a mixed bag of brown and rainbow trout.

Maxwell Lake 13: Fishing was slow for all species.

Monastery Lake: Fishing was very good using worms and PowerBait for trout.

Morphy Lake: Fishing was slow to fair using worms and PowerBait for trout.

Pecos River: Streamflow near Pecos on Monday was 65.9 cfs. Fishing was good using San Juan worms, elk hair caddis, prince nymphs, salmon eggs and spinners for trout.

Red River: Stream flow below the hatchery on Monday was 73.7 cfs. Fishing was very good using salmon eggs, worms, elk hair caddis and midge imitations for trout.

Red River City Ponds: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Rio Grande: Stream flow on Monday at the Taos Junction Bridge was 333 cfs. Fishing was good using poundmeisters, yellow sallies, caddis, copper John Barrs, spinners and night crawlers for brown and rainbow trout. We had no other reports.

Rio Hondo: Stream flow near Valdez on Monday was 28.9 cfs. Fishing was fair to good using parachute Adams, elk hair caddis, salmon eggs and worms for trout.

Rio Mora: As of Monday, stream flow near Terrero was 19.6 cfs. Fishing was fair using worms, caddis, prince nymphs and salmon eggs for trout.

Rio Pueblo: Stream flow near Penasco on Monday was 19.6 cfs. Fishing was fair to good using parachute Adams, elk hair caddis, poundmeisters, prince nymphs and worms for trout.

Santa Cruz Reservoir: Fishing was slow with just a few trout caught by anglers using PowerBait and salmon eggs.

Shuree Ponds: Fishing was very good using Pistol Petes and a wide assortment of nymphs for trout.

Springer Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Storrie Lake: Fishing was slow to fair using PowerBait, worms and Fire Balls for trout. Fishing was slow to fair using chicken liver for catfish.

Stubblefield Lake: Fishing was slow. Fishing pressure was light.

Ute Lake: Fishing for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass picked up a bit this past week. Anglers found them in the shallows and did well using buzz baits, flukes, tubes, creature baits and jerk baits. Fishing was fair trolling crank baits for walleye. Fishing for catfish was good for anglers using stink baits and cut bait. We had no other reports. The surface water temp was in the mid to upper 70s.

Winsor Creek: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Northwest

Abiquiu Lake: Fishing was fair using tubes, crank baits, jerk baits and top water lures for smallmouth bass. Fishing was good using curly tail grubs tipped with night crawlers, bottom bouncer rigs and worm harnesses at 10 to 20 feet for walleye. Bank fishing in the morning hours is good using worms for bluegill and small smallmouth bass. We had no other reports.

Animas River: Water flow below Aztec on Monday morning was 182 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Albuquerque Area Drains: Robert Chavez of Los Lunas reported good fishing for bass, blue gill and catfish on the drains in his area. He caught and released several including one 15-inch largemouth bass. He reported that most fish were caught by anglers using worms. We had no other reports.

Bluewater Lake: Fishing was slow to fair using large muskie flies, swim baits, crank baits and hot dogs for tiger muskies. We had no other reports.

Brazos River: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Canjilon Lakes: Closed by the U.S. Forest Service until further notice.

Chama River: Monday morning water flows below El Vado and Abiquiu were 345 cfs and 469 cfs respectively. Fishing below El Vado was good using hoppers, yellow sallies, wooly buggers, night crawlers, Fire Balls and PowerBait for brown and rainbow trout. We had no reports from below Abiquiu. New Special Trout Water: The river from the USGS gauging station to the confluence of the Rio Nutrias is now catch and release only using single barbless hook artificial flies and lures.

Cochiti Lake: Fishing was slow to fair using chatter baits, creature baits, jigs and jerk baits for smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. Fishing was fair using shrimp, worms, chicken liver and homemade dough bait for catfish. We had no other reports.

El VadoLake: Fishing continues to be good using grubs, tubes, spinners and worms for smallmouth bass. We had no other reports.

Fenton Lake: Fishing was good using San Juan worms, Pistol Petes, worms, Fire Balls and PowerBait for trout. A few were also caught by anglers using spinners.

Heron Lake: Fishing was very good around the boat dock areas using worms and garlic PowerBait. A few small kokanee salmon were caught by anglers trolling spinner/corn combinations. We had no other reports.

Jackson Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Jemez Waters: Stream flow on the Jemez River near Jemez Springs on Monday morning was 16.7cfs. Trout fishing on the Jemez was fair for anglers using worms and salmon eggs. Fishing on the Cebolla was very good using elk hair caddis, parachute Adams, San Juan worms, salmon eggs and night crawlers for trout. Several reports indicated that hoppers seem to be working on all streams in the area.

Navajo Lake: Fishing was good using Pop Rs, swim baits, tubes, curly tail grubs, crawdad flies, crank baits, jerk baits and chatter baits for smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. Fishing was good using swim baits, chatter baits, jerk baits and crank baits for northern pike. Fishing was very good using worms, spinners and small crank baits for perch. Fishing for kokanee salmon was slow. We had no other reports.

San Gregorio Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

San Juan River: Stream flow from Navajo Reservoir on Monday was 705 cfs. Fishing through the Quality Waters was good using ants, hoppers, Griffith’s gnats, dead chickens, RS2s, foam wing emergers and bead-head pheasant tail nymphs. Fishing through the bait waters was fair to good using worms, night crawlers, Chernobyl ants, San Juan worms, wooly buggers and copper John Barrs. The Bureau of Reclamation has scheduled a transfer of release from the City of Farmington Power Plant to the Auxiliary release point beginning Friday Sept. 1 where it will remain for the next 10 days. Some variations in flow and an increase in turbidity may be noticed during this time frame.

Southwest

Bear Canyon Lake: Fishing was fair using small jigs and grubs for crappie.

Bill Evans Lake: Fishing was slow for all species.

Caballo Lake: Fishing was slow to fair using chicken liver, prepared baits, cut bait and night crawlers. We had no other reports.

Elephant Butte Lake: Fishing was fair to good using cut bait, shrimp and chicken liver for catfish. Fishing was slow to fair using jigs, chatter baits, tubes, senkos, top water lures and creature baits for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Fishing was slow to fair using crank baits, spoons and curly tail grubs for white bass. We had no other reports.

Escondida Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Gila River: Stream flow on Monday morning was 84.7 cfs. Fishing on the West Fork was good using caddis and parachute Adams for trout.

Glenwood Pond: Fishing was good using PowerBait and Fire Balls for trout.

Lake Roberts: Fishing was slow to fair using crank baits, tubes, finesse worms and night crawlers for largemouth bass. The best reports came from anglers fishing the east side of the lake. Fishing for catfish was slow with a few caught by anglers using shrimp and chicken liver. Bluegill fishing was good for anglers using worms and rainbow hackle peacock nymphs. We had no other reports.

Percha Dam: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Quemado Lake: Fishing was slow for all species.

Rancho Grande Ponds: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Rio Grande: Stream flow below Elephant Butte Monday morning was 1,290 cfs. Fishing below Elephant Butte and Caballo and at the Mesilla Valley Dam was fair using night crawlers, chicken liver and cut bait for catfish. Fishing was fair using curly tail grubs, leech imitations, spoons and minnows for white bass and an occasional walleye. We had no other reports.

Snow Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Young Pond: Fishing was slow for all species

Southeast

Alto Lake: Fishing was slow for all species.

Bataan Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Black River: Stream flow at Malaga on Monday was 14.8 cfs

Blue Hole Park Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Bonito Lake: Closed until further notice by the city of Alamogordo due to fire damage.

Bosque Redondo Lake: Fishing was slow for all species. Fishing pressure was very light.

Bottomless Lakes: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Brantley Lake: Anglers are required to catch and release all fish here as high levels of pesticides have been found in some fish. Fishing was good using top water lures, chatter baits, flukes, swim baits, tubes, senkos and jigs for largemouth bass and white bass. A few catfish were caught and released by anglers using chicken liver and hot dogs. We had no other reports.

Carlsbad Municipal Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Chaparral Park Lake: Fishing was slow for all species.

El Rito Creek: Fishing was good using salmon eggs, worms and PowerBait for trout. We had no other reports.

Eunice Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Green Meadow Lake: Fishing was slow for all species.

Greene Acres Lake: Fishing was slow but a few catfish were caught by anglers using chicken liver and homemade dough bait. We had no other reports.

Grindstone Reservoir: Fishing was good using spinners, Pistol Petes, worms, PowerBait and Fire Balls for trout. We had no other reports.

Jal Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Lake Van: Fishing was slow to fair using shrimp, night crawlers and chicken liver for catfish. We had no other reports.

Oasis Park Lake: Fishing was slow for all species.

Pecos River: Stream flow below Sumner Lake on Monday was 96.3 cfs. Fishing was slow with just a few catfish caught by anglers using cut bait and night crawlers.

Perch Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Ruidoso River: Fishing was fair to good using salmon eggs for trout.

Santa Rosa Lake: Fishing was slow to fair using top water lures, crank baits, creature baits, jigs, tubes and jerk baits for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Fishing was slow to fair using chicken liver and shrimp on trotlines for catfish. We had no other reports.

Sumner Lake: Fishing was slow for all species. Fishing pressure was light.

Electronic duck stamps available beginning Sept. 1

SANTA FE – New Mexico duck and goose hunters will have a more convenient way to purchase federal duck stamps beginning Sept. 1, when the Department of Game and Fish will start selling the stamps under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s E-Stamp program.

Federal duck stamps, also known as Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamps, are required for all duck and goose hunters ages 16 and older. Hunters can purchase the stamp online, at license vendors, and by phone at (888) 248-6866, and will receive the physical stamp within 45 days by regular mail. A receipt, or validation on the hunter’s license will meet the federal requirement until the physical stamp is received. Duck stamps are valid in any state and expire June 30, 2018.

The stamp costs $26.50, including the processing fee for mailing. An additional $1 vendor fee will apply.

According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, by buying duck stamps, waterfowl hunters have supported the conservation of more than 5.7 million acres of strategic wetland habitat. Ninety-eight percent of the purchase price of the stamp goes directly to buy and lease wetland habitat on national wildlife refuges.

Fungi fun and favorable NOW in the high country!

With all the great rains this season you can be sure to find plenty very tasty boletus and chanterelle growing in the right places up high in the Sangre de Cristo

Fun Fall Field Food by the SFGC

Refrigerator bread and butter pickles

...so easy to prepare and these babies keep all winter fresh and crunchy!

Cavalry pickled squash with sweet onion and jalepenos for an extra "pop"

.......an old field recipe from the New Mexico territorial cavalry regiments...

New Mexico fishing and hunting reports, information and good ideas afield from the SFGC ProGuides

The SFGC ProGuides are in the field all over New Mexico daily reporting in on the latest fishing and hunting news - what they are seeing, what they believe will be happening and directly after guiding our client anglers and hunters.

5/31/2017

Sat. June 3rd New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Free Fishing Day.

No licenses required. With the high country waters stocked full of fat rainbows and the low country ponds stocked full of tasty channel cats, the day is sure to get you HOOKED!

You can also find the latest stocking reports as well as lake and stream water levels to help plan your next awesome day on the water here in New Mexico.

New Mexico fishing and hunting reports, information and good ideas afield from the SFGC ProGuides

The SFGC ProGuides are in the field all over New Mexico daily reporting in on the latest fishing and hunting news - what they are seeing, what they believe will be happening and directly after guiding our client anglers and hunters.

5/31/2017

Sat. June 3rd New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Free Fishing Day.

No licenses required. With the high country waters stocked full of fat rainbows and the low country ponds stocked full of tasty channel cats, the day is sure to get you HOOKED!

You can also find the latest stocking reports as well as lake and stream water levels to help plan your next awesome day on the water here in New Mexico.

Purhase Licenses Here

Santa Fe Guiding Company is an equal opportunity service provider by Priority Use Permits on the Carson, Ciblola and Santa Fe National Forest and on the Las Cruces and Roswell Bureau of Land Management districts.

For all the information available on these fine federal lands please check out their web sites at: